History

History is the discipline of recovering and making sense of the past through critical engagement with the evidence it has left behind. At degree level, it is not about memorising dates and events but about learning to ask searching questions of primary sources, to evaluate competing interpretations, and to construct well-evidenced arguments about why things happened the way they did. The discipline spans political and military history, social and cultural history, economic history, and the history of ideas, ranging from the ancient world to the very recent past.

At the University of Northampton, this four-year programme includes a foundation year, making it accessible to students who may not have followed a traditional academic route to university but who have the curiosity and commitment to engage seriously with the past. The foundation year develops the academic reading, writing, and analytical skills needed for degree-level work, and the transition into the main programme is carefully supported. You will then engage with the major periods and themes of historical study, developing your research skills, your ability to handle archival and primary source material, and your capacity to write sustained analytical arguments.

History graduates are employed across a remarkably wide range of careers. The civil service, law, journalism, publishing, the heritage and museum sector, politics, finance, and education are all well-established destinations. The analytical, research, and communication skills the degree develops transfer across virtually any professional context where clear thinking and persuasive writing matter.

Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in history, law, education, or related fields. Teaching at secondary and further education level is a particularly common path for history graduates who pursue initial teacher training. The foundation year element makes this degree genuinely accessible and provides a supported route into the discipline for students from a wide range of backgrounds.